


It's a Long, Lonely Night, When You Ain't by My Side

by celebel



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: (also Ashton), (it's more like Cam is an oblivious idiot and has to have people spell out his feelings for him), Comfort, Denial of Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, I've just realised how much of a slut I am for love confessions lmao, Love Confessions, M/M, More tropes I'd actually die for, Mutual Pining, Obliviousness, Post-Break Up, Whoops that's a mild spoiler, Y'all best be squinting for that implied Ash Agar/AJ Tye, i guess, sue me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 20:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17066702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celebel/pseuds/celebel
Summary: Hey, prettygirlboy,I've been thinking about you,All day, all night.





	It's a Long, Lonely Night, When You Ain't by My Side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jiminyneesham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiminyneesham/gifts).



> Thanks so much to the amazing Hannie for organising this entire thing and prompting me with interfering friends (sorta...), Melbourne (I mentioned Stars player Adam Zampa one [1] time :P), boundary, and a ship preferably with lesser known or state cricketers (ik both Ashton and Cam have played for Australia, but let's all be honest here,,,,,, WA is so obscure and the selectors are dicks and are never gonna select Ashton for anything :))))))))

When your best mate is a bit of a rare unit, it makes it hard to tell when he's feeling down. 

Ashton guessed that was why nobody else had taken notice of Cameron's recent change in mood. Not even Ash. 

Sure, Cameron still stumbled his way through day-to-day life with all his odd routines and rituals, still managing to find himself caught in the dumbest of situations, and still managing to blow up just as frequently with JL over the most trivial of matters, but Ashton's near-decade of friendship with Cameron allowed him to see the certain greyness around him which had been present since his girlfriend had broken up with him. 

Cameron's eyes no longer lit up like they used to whenever he caught wind of an opportunity to talk about anything to do with cricket. His laughter seemed forced during their celebrations post one day cup final against South Australia, in which he'd tonked the ball to, and over, the boundary rope no fewer than eight times in total for an instrumental 76 off 83 to seal the series title for Western Australia. He'd declined the offer to join Ashton, Ash, and AJ for dinner in the city with the claim that he was "just a bit tired", even if Ashton knew Cameron was _never_ one to turn down the offer of free food and company. The fact that his goofy smile just wasn't as bright as it used to be, gave him away entirely. 

So Ashton took it upon himself to cheer his best friend up. 

He laughed just that little bit louder at Cameron's dumb, change room banter (not that anything and everything Cameron did was hard to laugh at). He woke up at unholy hours in the morning, padding to the kitchen and nearly falling back asleep to the low hums of the coffee machine and the steady thumps of a medicine ball on the concrete outside, just so he could hand Cameron a steaming, black coffee the second he walked through the front door. He poked and prodded his housemate to the point of being annoying, just to get him out of the house, whether it be for simple grocery trips down to the local Coles, or for Macca's runs past midnight which the Warriors' dietician would never hear of. Ashton did all that he could just to see that bright spark back in his friend's eyes, if only for the briefest of moments. 

It was during those brief moments that Ashton could imagine he saw his feelings reflected back at him in those clear, blue eyes. 

Sometimes, amidst his and Cameron's wild giggles, Ash's facepalms, and AJ's tired groans from Cameron's terrible chat being too much for even his dad-like sense of humour, Ashton and Cameron's eyes would meet, and Ashton would become aware of a hand, _Cameron's_ hand, resting on his knee for perhaps a split-second longer than was strictly appropriate, before it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Cameron's gaze had moved on to someplace else in the change room. Sometimes, during those early mornings he'd somehow managed to stay awake long enough to stumble to the front door and shove a warm mug of coffee at Cameron, while all but chugging from another, Ashton would catch glimpses of Cameron from over the rim of his mug, simply standing there with his medicine ball tucked under one arm, a mug in his other hand, and an odd expression fixed on Ashton. However, by the time Ashton had finished gulping down his coffee and was feeling somewhat human again, Cameron had always already disappeared deeper into the house, leaving Ashton standing there, wondering if what he'd seen had simply been a trick of the early morning light on his bleary eyes. 

"Mate, JL is definitely going to notice I've put on a few if you keep us going at this rate," Cameron said one night as Ashton set a tray of two Big Mac meals on the table and slid into the seat across from him. Cameron picked at a lone chip from which had fallen onto the greasy paper and flicked it at him with a cheeky grin. "Stop interfering with my meal plan."

Ashton muttered something about ungrateful friends as he swiped his food from the tray. Cameron laughed loudly in reply, his knees knocking against Ashton's beneath the table.

One of Cameron's hands was curled loosely at his own cheek, while the other tapped a vaguely familiar rhythm on the cheap, plastic tabletop, drawing Ashton's attention. The corners of Cameron's lips tugged upwards fondly as Ashton met his blue eyes, warm despite the harsh, white lights above them. In that moment, Cameron wasn't sporting one of those big, fake grins that didn't quite reach his eyes he seemed to bust out so frequently amongst the boys these days. His current smile looked genuine, crinkling the skin at the corners of his eyes and softening all of his features. Ashton couldn't help but smile back. 

Suddenly, the door swung open and a bunch of rowdy teenagers bustled in, laughing and swearing loudly at each other. Ashton immediately ducked his head, picking at his burger's wrapping with sudden intent as if his actions would be able to magically dispel the heat he felt high on his cheeks and calm the rapid thumping in his chest, while Cameron grabbed his drink and took a long sip from it, looking out the window even if Ashton knew full well he couldn't see past where they'd parked the car just outside. 

The weeks seemed to drag on after that, and Cameron hardly showed any signs of improving. One could have even said he'd gotten worse, in fact. On some occasions, not even Ashton's actions could make him smile. It hurt more than it should have when Cameron shrugged off Ashton's casual touches instead of leaning into them like he would have before. 

"She must've left quite the impression," Ashton blurted late one evening, unable to bear the mounting tension any longer. He desperately needed to get everything sorted before Cameron left to join the national squad in Brisbane. Cameron had gotten the callup to the Test side after scoring his double century against the Redbacks, even if the Warriors ended up choking completely and losing the match in the end. 

"Sorry, who are we talking about again?" Cameron was seated on one of their other chairs in the living room, leaving Ashton the entire couch to stretch his 6'2" frame out on with his head resting on a cushioned armrest. The melodic strumming in the room halted as Cameron quit his intense staring at the frets of his guitar to acknowledge Ashton. He'd been playing one of those love songs by Sam's brother's band again, while probably daydreaming of what could've been with his ex. Ashton's fingers unconsciously tightened around his iPad at the thought, and he determinedly did not look away from the video analysis of his batting JL had sent him. It did not help that the footage he was watching at that moment showed him getting clean bowled by Adam Zampa.

"Caity." He'd tried to say her name as casually as possible, but something in the way he saw Cameron frown in his peripheral vision told him he hadn't quite hit the mark. 

"Ah," Cameron said with a slow nod. "Well, I'm not really sure what you're trying to get at, bringing her up out of the blue like that-"

"You guys broke up months ago," he interrupted, still not looking directly at Cameron. "But you're still really down about it. You've never been this way with any of your past girlfriends."

There was a long moment of silence in the room as Ashton stared blankly at more slow-motion footage of him throwing away his wicket like an actual dingus, while not really registering any of it.

"Well," Cameron sighed eventually, reaching behind his head to scratch the back of his neck. "It's not really the breakup that's got me weird like this, it's more this specific fact that Caity made me aware of."

"Oh?" Ashton arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she made me realise that I wasn't really in love with her, and that I really was, no, _am_ in love with someone else."

"Why don't you tell her then? This other girl?" The thought of Cameron confessing his love for another person left a bitter taste in his mouth, but that was the correct thing to say, right? He was just being a good mate, encouraging his best friend to be true to himself and all that. 

"I'm not sure he feels the same way, or if he even wants to know how I feel in the first place." 

_He? No, surely not. Maybe he misheard that, or maybe Cameron just tripped over his own words. He'd been known to do that occasionally._

"That depends," Ashton said slowly. "Do you know this person well? Are you guys friends?"

Ashton heard Cameron inhale sharply, taking a lengthy pause before his next words which were spoken softly, almost inaudibly. "Y-yeah, we're friends. He's one of my closest friends, in fact. That's why I'm scared my selfish actions might ruin our friendship forever, and... and I don't think I could live with myself if that were to happen, if I'm being perfectly honest."

_So Cameron **was** moping over a dude. Who was it then? Possibly Joel? Maybe Will? Simon? Surely not Ash, even if that would make sense in some weird, fucked up way. Holy shit, what if it was him? No, it couldn't be. He and Cameron had known each other platonically for ages, and it was simply impossible that Cameron saw him as anything more than just his best friend, even if Ashton had found himself wishing that Cameron would just wake up one day and magically see him as something more than that, the past couple of years-_

Ashton felt gentle fingers over his, easing the iPad out of his vice-like grip. He hadn't noticed Cameron had put his guitar down, and had made his way across the room, coming to kneel beside the couch Ashton was lying on.

"Mate, I haven't broken you by letting you know I'm bi, yeah?" Cameron gave a tentative smile, one of his hands still covering one of Ashton's. 

Ashton turned to look at Cameron fully for the first time in their conversation. He opened his mouth to reply, but found that all his words died on his lips as soon as he realised just how close their faces were. 

He could see just about every freckle and crease on Cameron's suntanned skin, and could feel their warm breaths mingling in what little space there was between them. A light dusting of pink was visible high on Cameron's cheeks. It brought out his clear, blue gaze which swept across Ashton's face slowly, as if trying to commit every single feature to memory. Almost unconsciously, Ashton turned his hand in Cameron's loose grip and Cameron immediately laced their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze and- _oh_.

Realisation finally dawned on Ashton and all he could manage was a slow shake of his head, evoking a fond chuckle from Cameron. He tried to duck his head, feeling more than slightly embarrassed, but found he couldn't as Cameron gently hooked his forefinger beneath his chin, forcing him to meet his wide eyes flitting from Ashton's own, to his mouth. His thumb brushed lightly over Ashton's bottom lip, asking a silent question.

Ashton answered it by leaning forward and closing the gap between them.

Their eyelids fluttered shut as their lips met much more tenderly than either thought they would, but what began as a chaste kiss quickly escalated when Cameron pulled away momentarily to climb onto the couch, placing his knees on either side of Ashton's thighs, and leaning down to cup Ashton's jaw with his free hand without ever separating their already intertwined fingers. As he coaxed Ashton's lips to part fully and his tongue to meet his own, Ashton's let a hand wander down Cameron's side and clutch at his hip. He arched upwards with a quiet moan, greedily seeking more of Cameron's kisses which were gladly given.

They broke from each other after a few minutes, Ashton falling back onto the soft cushions, and Cameron slumping against him, bringing their foreheads together. Amidst their heavy pants, Ashton glanced at their hands, still clasped together tightly, and let out a small giggle.

"What?" Cameron asked. His eyes were warm and that bright spark was back in them. It didn't seem like it would be disappearing anytime soon.

"I don't think I'm quite ready for marriage yet," he joked, and Cameron buried his face in the crook of Ashton's neck, his barely-muffled laughs and breaths warm against Ashton's collarbone. 

Ashton could only smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! Feel free to leave comments, kudos, and/or visit me on Tumblr @somesunnyda-y :)
> 
> The title, summary, rhythm Cam was tapping, and the melody he was strumming are all from ['Only for You' by Great Gable](https://youtu.be/BhlD042tKJY) whose lead singer really is Sam Whiteman's brother :D


End file.
